Solution mining of trona or nahcolite ore with aqueous NaOH and HCl solvents
AssigneeIntermountain Research and Development Corporation
InventorsJoseph M. Ilardi, David Goldstein
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Abstract
Separate deposits of trona or nahcolite ore are solution mined with two solvents, aqueous sodium hydroxide and aqueous hydrogen chloride. Aqueous sodium carbonate solution is withdrawn from the region of the NaOH-treated ore deposit, for recovery of soda ash. Aqueous sodium chloride brine is withdrawn from the region of the HCl-treated ore deposit and introduced to an electrodialysis cell to regenerate the two solvents and thereby continue the solution mining cycle.
Claims13
A cyclic method for solution mining subterranean ore deposits of trona or nahcolite which comprises
- (i) contacting a first subterranean trona or nahcolite ore deposit with aqueous sodium hydroxide solvent to form an aqueous sodium carbonate solution;
- (ii) withdrawing aqueous sodium carbonate solution from the region of the first ore deposit, whereby soda ash may be recovered from the withdrawn sodium carbonate solution;
- (iii) contacting a second subterranean trona or nahcolite ore deposit with aqueous hydrogen chloride solvent to form an aqueous sodium chloride brine;
- (iv) withdrawing the aqueous sodium chloride brine from the region of the second ore deposit;
- (v) introducing the withdrawn sodium chloride brine as feed solution into an electrodialysis cell and electrodialyzing the brine to yield aqueous sodium hydroxide and aqueous hydrogen chloride;
- and
- (vi) recycling the aqueous sodium hydroxide and the aqueous hydrogen chloride to the first and second subterranean ore deposit, respectively, to repeat the solution mining recovery cycle.
A cyclic method for solution mining subterranean trona ore deposits which comprises
- (i) contacting a first subterranean trona ore deposit with aqueous sodium hydroxide solvent to form an aqueous sodium carbonate solution;
- (ii) withdrawing aqueous sodium carbonate solution from the region of the first ore deposit, whereby soda ash may be recovered from the withdrawn sodium carbonate solution;
- (iii) contacting a second subterranean trona ore deposit with aqueous hydrogen chloride solvent to form an aqueous sodium chloride brine;
- (iv) withdrawing the aqueous sodium chloride brine from the region of the second ore deposit;
- (v) introducing the withdrawn sodium chloride brine as feed solution into an electrodialysis cell and electrodialyzing the brine to yield aqueous sodium hydroxide and aqueous hydrogen chloride;
- and
- (vi) recycling the aqueous sodium hydroxide and the aqueous hydrogen chloride to the first and second subterranean trona ore deposits, respectively, to repeat the solution mining recovery cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.